U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue told Fox News on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping has “assured” the United States that Beijing is not aiding Iran, even as reports have suggested otherwise.
Perdue said the issue has been an ongoing point of discussion between the two countries and credited President Trump with making the U.S. position clear.
“Well, this has been a continual conversation over some period of time,” Perdue said of China aiding Iran. “President Trump did a great job making sure that China knows that this is unacceptable. We’ve seen some movement over the last month as well, but this isn’t the first time President Trump has brought it up with president Xi.”
Anchor Bill Hemmer pressed the ambassador on whether that meant China would halt its support.
“Okay, does that mean that Beijing will stop in their aid and assistance to Iran?” Hemmer asked.
Perdue pointed to progress already made and to commitments from Beijing.
“Well, We’ve seen movement Bill, on that already,” Perdue answered. “That’s what the commitment is. They assured us yesterday that they aren’t doing that. We know that in the past there was some intel and some potential parts that went to, either directly or indirectly — but President Trump made it clear it is unacceptable to have any interaction with Iran with support of the war.”
The ambassador’s comments come after Reuters reported earlier this month that Iran has been relying on a “barter-like arrangement” to get around sanctions, allowing it to trade discounted oil for Chinese goods, including defense equipment.
Citing anonymous sources, Reuters described a secretive trade mechanism in which Iranian oil is swapped for credits that can be used on Chinese imports. According to the report, that system has served as a financial lifeline for Tehran in recent years as the U.S. ramped up economic and military pressure over Iran’s nuclear program.
All of the sources told Reuters that Iran has used the arrangement to purchase medicines, vehicles and communication equipment from China. The manufacturers involved were not dealing directly with Iran, and there is no indication that they violated sanctions, the report said.
The sources also told Reuters the mechanism was used at least once in the past year in connection with contracts to supply Iran with air defense equipment worth millions of dollars.
However, Reuters noted that its anonymous sources did not provide details about any of the alleged transactions with Chinese manufacturers. The outlet said it could not independently verify that the transactions took place.
Perdue’s remarks set up a clear contrast. On one side are Beijing’s assurances, delivered to U.S. officials just a day earlier, that China is not aiding Iran. On the other is the Reuters report describing a trade mechanism that has allegedly helped Tehran keep Chinese goods flowing despite sanctions.
The ambassador did acknowledge that there had been some intel and potential parts that went to Iran in the past, either directly or indirectly. But he stressed that Trump has made the administration’s position unmistakable: any interaction with Iran in support of the war is unacceptable.
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